Oaken Wood, Surrey: 25 May

Spent the day with Pete Alfrey, Helen Cavilla and Rachel Walls searching for Wood Whites Leptidea sinapis at Oaken Wood - a small part of Chiddingfold Forest in Surrey managed by Butterfly Conservation for this rare species. A thorough search for several hours found no sign of any Wood Whites (bugger knows where these things were hanging out today?) but we still had an excellent invert-filled day.

Lepidoptera: 1m Nemophora degeerella, 1 Olethreutes arcuella, shed-loads of Speckled Yellows Pseudopanthera macularia, 1 Mother Shipton Callistege mi, 1 Four-dotted Footman Cybosia mesomella, 1 Peacock Moth Macaria notata, 1 The Cinnabar Tyria jacobaeae, 1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis, 1 Brown Silver-line Petrophora chlorosata, 2 (larva) The Lackey Malacosoma neustria, Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi, 2 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta, 1 Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni, and several Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria.

Odonata: 1m Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo, 1m Downy Emerald Cordulia aenea, and lots of Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula.

Male Nemophora degeerella - a fairly common but beautiful longhorn moth

Olethreutes arcuella

Speckled Yellow Pseudopanthera macularia - flying in force today, i.e. absolutely ******* everywhere!

Four-dotted Footman Cybosia mesomella

Peacock Moth Macaria notata

The Lackey Malacosoma neustria

Downy Emerald Cordulia aenea - note the dark frons (marked with yellow on Brilliant Emerald Somatochlora metallica).
Good identification article here.

Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula

Avifauna noted includes 5 Nightingale (1 seen), 1m Yellowhammer, 4 Common Buzzard, 1H Willow Warbler, 1 Common Cuckoo that refused to show itself and a female Mallard on eggs (one of us also suppressed a family flock of Marsh Tits, but enough said about that!). 1 very brief Adder and 2 Common Frog were also logged.